Famous Fortune Fights!
by Andy & Danielle Mayoras

Legendary Figures

Prince Harry celebrated his 30th birthday earlier this week. His mother, the iconic Princess Diana, passed away over 17 years ago, following the tragic crash as Diana and Dodi Fayed sped away from paparazzi in France. What was so special about Harry’s 30th birthday (other than the fact that he’s still single, to the delight of eligible women throughout England)? That’s the day Harry became entitled to receive the remaining half of Princess Diana’s assets.

After Diana passed on August 31, 1997, her mother, Frances Ruth Shand Kydd, and her sister, Lady Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia McCorquodale, became executors of her Estate, based on Diana’s last will and testament dated June 1, 1993 (amended through a codicil in 1996). The probate filings at the time showed that Diana left behind assets valued at around £21 million (or worth about 31.5 million in USD at the time), netting £17 million after inheritance taxes. Originally, the will called for these assets to be held in trust for Diana’s sons, Princes William and Harry, until they turned 25.

Nelson Mandela left behind an unparalleled legacy of peace, dignity, and selflessness. If early reports are accurate, some of his children and grandchildren don't exactly subscribe to the same value system. When you think of the man who spent 27 years in jail to bring down apartheid, do you think of clothing lines, reality TV shows, or a wine label? Probably not. But those are a few of the ways that Mandela's heirs have used his name to profit.

So perhaps it was no surprise that his children and grandchildren began fighting, even before the South African champion of equal rights passed. Mandela's eldest grandson, Mandla Mandela, was accused of shady maneuvering, hoping to make his gravesite into a profitable tourist attraction. This summer, the New York Times reported that Mandla was sued by other Mandela family members because he felt, as the eldest grandchild, he should decide where Nelson Mandela should be laid to rest.

The problem? Mandla's dream of a tourist site built around the body of his grandfather wasn't what Nelson Mandela wanted. In 1996, Mandela created a hand-written will saying he wanted to be buried in his ancestral home, the remote village of Qunu. Three of his children had died before him and were already buried there ... that is, they were until Mandla decided to uproot them and move them to another village, Mvezo, so he could create a Mandela family burial site. Other family members successfully sued Mandla, forcing the bodies to be returned to Qunu, so that Mandela's wishes could be fulfilled.

How many people would jump at the chance to trade places with 15-year-old twins who stand to inherit one billion dollars in six years? Don’t raise your hands too fast.

Doris Duke

Georgia Inman and Walker Patterson Inman III would seemingly have a charmed life, being the only living heirs to the Duke family fortune. That’s right — Duke, as in Doris Duke, Duke University, and Duke EnergyCorporation.Yet Georgia and Walker were recently suspended from a private school in Utah for about $25,000 in unpaid tuition and late fees. Perhaps one billion dollars doesn’t buy as much as it used to.

The sad reality is that Georgia and Walker have spent most of their lives caught in the middle of various legal battles. Their mother is Daisha Inman, who now has custody of them. She’s been battling in court against JPMorgan Chase for the last several months over the twins’ trust funds.

The twins’ late father, Walker P. Inman, Jr., was Doris Duke’s nephew. During his divorce proceedings with Daisha, he reported to a court that Georgia and Walker would inherit around one billion dollars when they turn 21.

Less than four weeks since its release, the movie Lincoln already
has earned nearly $84 million at the box office. Chronicling
Abraham Lincoln’s historic efforts to abolish slavery, the movie has
garnered widespread critical and audience appeal.

At Trial & Heirs,
however, we can’t help but think of another aspect of Abraham Lincoln’s
life … he is one of the most notable examples of someone dying without a
will. This got us thinking, and digging. What did happen to Lincoln’s
estate after he died?

According to a series of bulletins issued from the
Abraham Lincoln Association, his family was understandably overcome with
grief. By noon on the day he died, April 15, 1865, Lincoln’s oldest
son, Robert, sent a telegram to Justice David Davis of the United
States Supreme Court. Davis was a close friend of Lincoln and Robert
considered Davis to be a “second father,” according to a letter Robert
wrote years later. The telegram said, “Please come at once
to Washington to take charge of my father’s affairs. Answer.”

What would it be like if you had to fight Superman? You may be
thinking, "Superman is the hero, so why would he fight me?" Work with
us for a minute. After all, when the concept of "Superman" was first
developed, he was a villain and not a hero.

Imagine for a moment
going mano-a-mano against the Man of Steel. Just regular, mortal you
against a brightly-garbed warrior who has super-strength, can fly, is
faster than a speeding bullet, and has only one weakness. It doesn't
sound like much fun. It would seem rather hopeless ... unless you had
some Kryptonite in your back pocket.

The heirs of the two
co-creators of the legendary comic book hero must feel just as hopeless
at times in their fight over what they feel is "truth, justice and the
American way." They have been battling the powerful media
conglomerates, Warner Bros. and DC Comics, for many years in a series of
(seemingly) never-ending lawsuits. The heirs claim entitlement to full
ownership of the Superman copyrights.

Warner Bros. and DC Comics
say the heirs never owned the rights and the two corporations have
nothing wrong. Their position is that even if the heirs did have valid
claims at one time, the heirs agreed to let Warner and DC keep the
copyrights in exchange for increased royalty payments and other
compensation.

Fighting over estates is never pretty. These court battles are
emotional, draining, and sometimes downright nasty for everyone
involved. When they happen to the estate of a beloved American icon,
it’s even more tragic.

Rosa Parks’ Estate has been embroiled in fighting since not long
after she died on October 24, 2005 at the age of 92 in Detroit,
Michigan. You can read about the long history of the court battle,
which we summarized in this Trial & Heirs article.
In short, the Michigan Supreme Court restored the rights of the
primary beneficiaries to Rosa Parks’ estate plan, years after the
probate court judge ordered that their rights had been forfeited.
Finally, it seemed that the fighting had reached its end.

Instead, the battle actually turned uglier than before. The attorney representing those beneficiaries who rights were recently restored — Rosa Parks’ friend Elaine Steele and the charitable institute that Rosa Parks had created, which Steele operates — went on the attack again. He took the highly-unusual step of suing the probate judge who oversees the Rosa Parks Estate, Hon. Freddie Burton, and the two lawyers whom the Judge had appointed to administer the Estate, John Chase, Jr. and Melvin Jefferson.

In doing so, Steele’s attorney accused them of cronyism, corruption, over-charging the Estate and more. The attorney issued a press release about it and the allegations received widespread press coverage nationally, including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, ABC News, and many others. Steele’s attorney went on a Detroit-area radio show and openly discussed how he felt that Judge Burton, Chase and Jefferson were corrupt and engaged in a conspiracy. He even said he believed the Judge was taking bribes. The attorney promised to have Judge Burton removed from the case and accused him of refusing to “give up his corrupt ways.”

Judge Burton dismissed the allegations Steele’s attorney raised and refused to step down from the case. His decision not to disqualify himself was upheld by the chief judge of the Wayne County Probate Court. Steele appealed the decision, and the Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal. Steele will likely appeal again.

We've written extensively about the efforts by Eliza Presley to prove that she is half-sister to Elvis Presley and daughter to Vernon Presley, based on DNA and other evidence. Much of this same evidence also supports Eliza's claim that Elvis Presley is actually alive. You can get caught up to speed starting here, if you haven't followed this case before.

It's been more than a year since we last wrote that Eliza's case was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds. This meant that the court in which she filed her lawsuit was not able to hear the case; rather, the case had to go to a different court. Because of this and other legal hurdles, Eliza has never had her "day in court" to present her evidence to a judge or jury.

As we wrote then, Eliza was at the end of her road -- emotionally and financially -- and was not able to continue with the case. Trying to re-write the history books, which is what Eliza was literally trying to do, is no easy task. This is especially true when there are those who will go to extraordinary means to try to stop her.

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Legal Disclaimer

Legal Disclaimer

Nothing in this blog should be relied on as legal advice. The information contained herein does not create an attorney/client relationship. The articles posted are intended for entertainment and general information purposes only. Laws vary state by state. Anyone seeking legal advice for a specific situation should consult a qualified probate lawyer or similar qualified professional in the appropriate state.